Waxing Crescent
by Inner Dragon2007
Summary: Takes place in New Moon. Months after the departure of Edward, a new guy comes to Forks: Alexander Bakemono. This guy came with no money, without his family, and seems to know more than most people, even Bella. But what's his business in Forks anyway?
1. Prologue: The Letter

Yep, I'm writing a fanfic on Twilight now too! Hey, I can't just limit myself to anime! But to start out, I **DO NOT** own the book or any parts of the series; I'm just having fun writing an fanfic about it. But I did make up some events and the main character, along with some others, all belong to me! But I hope you enjoy

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**The Letter**

Dear Family,

I'm sorry; I'm so sorry it took me this long to realize what had been happening. I don't even feel like sorry is a good enough thing to say anymore. I can't bring myself to stay with all of you anymore. I feel like the longer I do that, the more you all will be in danger. By the time you all get this letter, I'm already long gone. I knew if I told you in person that I was gonna lead them away from our home, you would've tried to stop me. But now's not the time to worry about me. I know that I'm probably not the strongest out of all of us or as intelligent as the others…But that doesn't mean I can't help! I can sense them even as I run; they're falling for my plan. I would be lying if I said 'I won't miss you' or 'don't come and find me'. I WILL miss you and part of me WANTS you to know where I'm going. But even I don't know where I'm planning to go at the moment; even if I did, I care about you all too much to have your lives in danger. This is MY problem and it's about time I took action for myself. I don't know what will happen in the end…but I know I will make it, no matter what! You said so yourself, Dad; I'm just too stubborn to quit. And I'm sure that applies to death too; I don't plan on going down without a fight.

Sincerely,

Alexander

P.S: Look out for each other, take good care for yourselves, and don't smoke. That means YOU, Big brother! But seriously, I'll be fine. If I'm anything like you, Dad, I'll find a way. It what being a Bakemono is all about

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**that's it for now! It's just a small taste of what's to come! Hope you enjoy**


	2. The Arrival

**FINALLY! After 50 years, I added the second chapter of my Twilight fanfic! Look I even have a beard to prove it!**

**Alex comes over and pulls off the fake beard: You know, I don't think it's possible for a girl to grow a beard ID**

**ID: Yeah, yeah, suck the fun out of it why don't you? Well, on a side note, I hope you all enjoy this chapter**

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Waxing Crescent

Chapter 2: The New Arrival

"_What made you think I would go down so easily?" _

_Two men took a few steps away from the boy but kept crouched, cat-like positions as they eyed him warily. The storm seemed to show all of the building tension each person had at that moment. Near their feet now laid one of their group members, or at least the ashes of what remained of him. They looked forward at the person that held the exact knife that killed him and bared their fangs. All they got was a threatening glow from the boy's eyes. "You're really asking for a death wish aren't you, boy," One snarled at him, still keeping a good distance away from the boy's reach. That knife he had was extremely deadly; how it got in his possession was beyond them._

_The boy still didn't answer them; looking steadily at this small gang up he ended up in. He was numb beyond all belief; the boy could barely keep himself on his feet anymore. Just when he had thought that he would be able to rest, these guys had to reappear. He clutched his knife and kept it as close as possible to himself; he tried to keep his breathing as steady as he could, making an effort to hide the obvious weakness. These men were just like hunters; one sign of an opportunity and they would kill him in an instant. But he couldn't run away; that would be enough to start a chase. And with the lack of energy he had at the moment, the boy couldn't provoke that either. He glanced between the two remaining males, who still didn't move one inch. This was the first time he faced three of their kind at once; he was lucky enough that he even managed to take one of them down. As if that wasn't enough, he was bleeding badly on one arm; and it looked like the smell of it was driving the men wild. The boy continued to stand his ground. There was no use now; the odds were completely against him. The men snarled and, in one last attempt, lunged at the boy all together, each showing the strangely sharp fangs in their mouths. He actually expected this; he drew the knife close to his neck in defense._

_But what happened next was something they all hadn't seen coming._

_Out of the shadows, two creatures had sprinted out and tossed the men through the trees. The boy couldn't see what they were at all; his vision had gotten completely blurry by the time they came out. "I hope this means I got a miracle," the boy muttered before he finally fell in the mud in exhaustion. The last things he heard were roars, bellows, and pained screams, but he lost all senses in a matter of seconds…_

End of Dream

"Alex, Wake up! Are you okay!?" a large man that looked like he had come from the mountains shook a 19-year-old boy roughly from his sleep in worry. The boy, after a few more shakes, woke up in cold sweat, his face completely pale and his eyes widened in fear. "It's okay, Alex; it's okay. You just had a bad dream," said man softly as he tried to calm the teen down. He grabbed a nearby towel and began to wipe away the sweat from Alex's face. He was very careful when he went to wipe Alex's left cheek; that was a long, deep claw-like scar that barely missed his eye. How he got it there older man didn't know; Everytime he had asked before, Alex just went quiet. "You had the same nightmare again, didn't you," He asked the younger boy as he continued to try and calm Alex's nerves. Alex couldn't bring himself to talk immediately; he was too busy trying to steady his breathing.

"Hey, what's going on?" Another man, younger than the russet man who was trying to calm down Alex, climbed up the stairs and entered the room as well. He in his early 30s and although he was smaller than the large man, he was still a pretty big guy. He looked from Alex to the older man and furrowed his eyebrows in worry, running one large hand through his light auburn hair. "It was the nightmare again, right Bro?"

His brother nodded and sighed. "You got that right on the mark, Jack." He turned his attention back at Alex and placed a rough hand on his shoulders. "This is the fifth time these weeks you had the same dream. Are you sure you want to go tomorrow? Maybe you should still rest up."

Alex took a deep breathe in and finally began to talk, his soft, lightly deep voice managing to not shake this time. "Don't worry Peter, I'll be okay." He looked out his window as he heard the soft pattering of the rain; there was a low rumbling of thunder far in the distance. "It was probably the just the weather that triggered it anyway." Alex turned back to the two men and smiled a little sheepishly. "Sorry I woke you up. We better get back to sleep; I want to get up early for the trip tomorrow." The two men left Alex's room reluctantly and silently shut the door the moment his lights were off. They were quiet as they went back to their room. Then Jack decided to break the silence "I'm worried about him, Peter." The russet man looked at his brother understandingly but allowed him to continue. "He's still having nightmares about that storm. Do you think we should send him to Forks in this condition? Maybe he should stay with one of the other men in La Push."

Peter shook his head in disagreement. "We promised Alex we would get him to Forks the moment he was well. Those dreams are probably just simple nightmares; it was a terrifying thing to experience. If anything, he's handling it better than most people; encounters like that would traumatize a person. He's a bit shaken but that's it." He opened the door and finished his reasoning as they both got ready for bed. "Besides, he said he has a friend in Forks that wouldn't mind helping him out. We should get him to that person as soon as possible…"

Fast Forward to the late afternoon

Alex looked up at the gray clouds and continued to sketch the sky as he hung around the back of the black Toyota pick-up truck. It was amazing to Alex; no matter where they went, the clouds looked exactly the same. Maybe it was because of how cluttered together they were.

"Hey Alex, you sure you want to stay in the back? Around here, it usual rains at this time."

Alex looked through the back window and smiled at Peter. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you. You'll have to speak up," He simply remarked and went back to drawing the clouds.

"Kids these days; you help them once and the next day, they forget about it entirely," Peter grumbled under his breath. He turned to Jack, who only laughed at his older brother's expense. "You're lucky I'm not related to you, Squirt; I would've whacked you on the head by now for being disrespectful," He added as he made a swiping motion, keeping one hand on the steering wheel.

Jack chuckled lightly; he knew his older brother would do something like that too. He sifted a little from his seat to look at the back of the younger male, who was busily drawing in a sketch book. "But you, know, I'm surprised that you're not getting car sick looking down like that. Your picture even makes it look like we haven't even been on bumpy roads; and we have. Does that have to do with your red contacts?"

He pushed the right buttons; Alex turned to him and scowled slightly. "How many times do I have to tell you? This is my NATURAL eye color," Alex said sourly as he pointed at his crimson eyes.

There was a slight pause…"Um, kid; you realize no matter how many times you say that, I'll always have a hard time believing you."

"Didn't he show you first hand that he had no contacts at all? And why would a person with contacts need reading glasses," Peter butted in.

"Those could've been fake lenses," Jack replied.

"I check them; they have real prescription." Peter turned a bit, keeping one hand on the steering wheel and gliding it casually across it. "Maybe we should consider that it's a recessive inherited trait he gained from a family genetic."

"You're kidding right? I've heard of kids that had blue eyes or green eyes because of recessive genes. But when the heck was there a kid born with red eyes like that?"

"You're looking at him right now," Peter remarked sarcastically.

While the two brothers argued about possible reasons, the younger boy just rolled his eyes and went back to his drawing.

**Alex's POV**

Well, there goes the eye topic again. It's not like I hate having red eyes; I really like them. But when you hear people talk about it most of your life, it can get VERY, VERY, annoying. But then again, red eyes aren't exactly the most normal eye color in genetics, even when you compare it to blue or green. I haven't even heard about it being possible to have red eyes, unless from lack of sleep or something. And that's no where near my red eye color. But enough about my 'demon eyes', let me introduce myself; my full name is Alexander Bakemono. I'm about 19 now but…let's just say I haven't exactly graduated from high school yet. But I think I have about one year left so I'm good. The 'friend' I had told those guys about is just like a guardian to me; he's looked after me when I was a little kid. I don't know if he'll approve of the actions I took, but he's the only one I can turn to now. This is the first time I have ever went this far away from home; he's the only one that I know who lives around Forks. Well at least, his letter told me so a few months ago. Just remembering the words are enough to calm me. I didn't bring the letter with me, but it pretty much said that I could call him if I had any problems. Well, I hope he's in for a surprise visit; 'cause either way, it looks like I'll be staying around Forks for a while…Heh, it's funny; I feel like some kind of main character, introducing myself like this.

**End of POV**

"Hey guys, how long do you think it'll take for me to get there by motorcycle," Alex asked as he eyed the night shaded vehicle that was tied up in the back with him. While Alex had been staying with the two men, he found the old motorcycle around a pile of other junk. After a bit of begging, they had let him keep it; the two brothers didn't think he could do much with that pile of rusted metal anyway. Boy, were they wrong. Alex worked on it for three straight nights and the ending results were very impressive. The rusted metal had been changed with brand new, smoother plates. The old chipped yellow paint was replaced with a blended indigo coat with and some crimson flames that rivaled his eye color's dark glow. Peter was struck dumb when Alex showed it to them; Jack was just plain impressed that a kid could fix the thing on his own like a professional 'grease monkey', as he would put it. That may have gotten him the name 'Monkey boy', but Alex was proud of what he accomplished.

"Quite a couple of hours. We're not even that close to it yet." Peter then saw Alex's expression. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no. There is no way you're driving that thing all the way to Forks."

"Hey, you gave me it. I might as well ride my own bike," Alex scowled. He worked very hard on that thing. Now seemed to be the perfect time to see if it rode as well as it looked. And in Alex's opinion, the motorcycle looked pretty good.

Peter scowled right back at the boy. "You expect me to trust that you can ride that thing when you're calling it a bike? Forget it. You need gas for it anyway"

"I had a feeling you would say that, so I already put some in it a few days ago."

Peter grumbled a few colorful words under his breath. Then he glared at Alex. "Even so, you should let us drop you off at the nearby bar. It'll save you a lot of energy and money for your motorcycle. So just shut your little sharp tongue, and get back to that drawing of yours."

"But I'm done with it already," Alex whined childishly. Then his eyes suddenly brightened at an idea. "If I can't go on my motorcycle, can I drive the pick up truck then?"

"Not in this lifetime."

"Aw, c'mon! Please," Alex begged.

"No."

"Please?"

"No"

"Please?"

"NO."

"Please?"

"How many times do I have to say no," Peter asked in irritation.

"Until you tell me I can drive," Alex said as he got in a begging stance. "So please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"How about I tell you in Spanish; No!"

"How about I tell YOU in Spanish; Por favor?"

"NO!"

"Please?"

"Oh for God's shake, NO!"

"Please?"

"NO!"

"Please?"

"Ugh!"

Jack listened to the argument "My money's on Monkey boy," He shouted cheerfully.

Peter scowled at his childish brother and shook his hand. "You have yourself a deal," He growled and went back to focusing on his driving, with Alex still begging to drive…

"There; you see? I'm not that bad of a driver."

Peter just grunted at Alex, who was driving the truck with a happy expression. Well, it was more like the look a little kid would have once they got what they wanted "You went through three red lights," he complained.

"Figures you'd pay attention to the mistakes," Alex sighed. He looked to the nearby bar that was coming up. "Hey, is that the place?"

Peter peeked over his shoulder to see. "Yeah, that's it. Just make a U turn and park; it'll get you right in there." Alex nodded understandingly and smoothly turned the steering wheel to the side. He entered the parking lot with great ease and slowly parked the Toyota pick-up truck. Once Alex managed to squeeze himself out of the cramped seat, Peter quickly went back to the driver seat. "Here kid; half of your winnings," Peter grumbled, handing an eager Alex the money he had to pay his brother. Then he got a little sterner. "Are you sure you'll be alright going the rest of your way to your friend's house? It's already night."

Alex went toward the back to take out his motorcycle. "Well, if you had woken me up earlier, we wouldn't have had to worry about that."

"Says the one who growled at us and said to wake him up later," Jack laughed.

Alex took out his motorcycle. "I will not comment." He slowly took it to a nearby bike rack and chained it securely. Walking toward the entrance of the bar, Alex only turned around to wave goodbye to his older friends.

"Remember Alex; if you need any help at all, you know where to find us!" Peter called to Alex as he picked up speed and drove back onto the road.

**Alex's POV**

I waited for the pick-up to get as far away as possible. I didn't want to worry them, but with all the honesty in my heart I know there was no denying truth. I had no clue where my friend lived: AT ALL. And if I told Peter, I just know he would've made me stay with them a little longer. I didn't want that to happen; they've helped me enough as it is. I personally felt obligated to go the rest of the way on my own. Now was the location problem; this was my first time in Forks, remember? He was the only one I knew that lived around this place. If I couldn't find him, then I'd have to look for a house to live in. That is a BIG problem considering the lack money. All I have is the 200 dollars that Peter gave me from that bet, and I was going to save that for food. Then again, it wasn't completely hopeless. I knew my friend well; he'd probably be living in a place that was completely unnoticeable and far away from other people. Bur now that I thought about it, how was I going to find him if that was the case? "I can't wait to go house hunting," I told myself, not even trying to hide my sarcasm in voice. Opening the door was my first step as an unknown stranger in this place

What happened next was something I would've never expected. I saw some girl talking to this guy near a pool table. She looked like she was in some kind of daze. I turned and saw other girl watching this in horror; I guess it's safe to assume that she's a friend. I frowned a little worriedly myself. I didn't like that look in that guy's eyes; it gave me a bad feeling. I took one step toward them but immediately stepped back. Dad always told me to never interfere with other people's business…ah, what he heck? I do that stuff anyway. Making my way to them, I paused for a moment. The business I usually interfered with was always between people I knew around my neighborhood. I had no clue who these two were. I watched the man take a step toward her; that was enough motivation for me. "Hey Sis! What are you doing?" I had to hold back a laugh when I saw both of them look my way. The man looked like I busted him or something. The girl's expression was more interesting; it kinda mixed between confused and annoyed. I walked in between the two and smiled; I had to keep it moving before she snapped out of it. "Our table isn't here; we're over there, remember?"

"Is this your sister?"

I smiled widely and turned to the man. "Of course she is! Sorry if she was any trouble; you know how little siblings can be."

I could tell that the man was a little suspicious of me; it showed by the way he narrowed his eyes. "You two don't look anything alike, if you ask me."

Looks like it was going to take a lot more to make him believe me. "You don't know how many people have told us that," I laughed lightly. I heard a few other people laugh a bit as well; they seemed to be convinced I was related to her.

The guy still didn't buy any of this. "Then what's her name?"

Oh crap; I had to avoid that question. I frowned at him as sternly as I could. "You think I'm gonna tell some guy I don't know what my little sister's name is? Keep dreaming. I can't send that kind message to her; it's bad enough she's talking to strangers." That scolding didn't look like something he had expected. A lot of other people were murmuring between each other. I held my breath; I hoped he would stop asking questions. I didn't know how much longer I could keep this act up.

"Oh, well, sorry to about that. I wouldn't want you to give your sister that idea." He seemed a little disappointed, but smiled at me humorously. "So you must be the overprotective brother in the family."

"I can't just let my sister go around on her own. I don't know what kind of guy she would end up running into," I told him in alarm. Looks like all those years of mimicking my Big brother finally paid off.

He chuckled lightly. "That's true."

I turned and began to push her from behind. "C'mon sis, let's go; you nearly gave our friend a heart attack." I managed to get her to move away form the man and toward that other girl I saw. She looked relieved when she saw me taking the girl toward her.

But the girl herself finally snapped out of it and went to her friend. She seemed a little angry at me. "What the heck were you doing? I don't even know you."

"Well, you're welcome," I answered sarcastically. So much for helping someone out; she obviously wasn't the least bit grateful. I was pretty annoyed with that; there was a slight scowl on my face. "If you hadn't noticed I think that guy was trying to get some moves on you."  
The girl just returned my scowl with just as much annoyance. Her friend was a different story. She actually looked at me thankfully. "Don't be like that Bella; he was just trying to help." She smiled at me. "My name's Jessica, but you can call me Jess. This Bella Swan," Jessica told me as she motioned to the girl next to her "her real name is Isabella, but she doesn't like to be called that."

So that girl's name Bella and her friend Jessica; didn't seem too hard to remember. "My name is Alexander, but you can call me Alex."

Just by the way Jess smiled was enough to tell me she was the out-going, bubbly type. "So are you new around here something?"

I wonder what gave that away; my backpack or my favorite hat? "Yeah I am. I was on my way to Forks, but I decided to stop here to get a bite to eat." Both girls looked a little questioningly at me so I tried to clear up the confusion. "I'm traveling on my own to a friend's place. My father said I could go to him whenever I wanted. So I thought what better time than my last year in high school. He did tell me that the school around Forks was a good one." I couldn't really finish the rest 'cause Jess grabbed my arm and took me to their table. As we all ate our food, she kept asking me a lot of questions. I laughed inwardly; it was like talking to an excited little kid. Still, she was friendly, and she managed to get me to talk with her causally. But I was careful; I couldn't tell her too much about why I was here. The entire time, though, I felt like an evil presence was burning a hole right through me…And then I realized it was Bella glaring daggers at me. Sheesh; if she wanted to be hit on by some guy she didn't know, she could've at least told me!

**Bella's POV**

I couldn't bring myself to talk to that guy. Just when I was finally hearing Edward's voice again, he came along and it went away. Maybe I did do something a little unsafe, but he was just as much of a stranger as that other guy. I watched Jessica talk with Alex eagerly; looked like she was warming up to him just fine. I soon found myself staring at him out of interest; there was just something about him. I don't really know how to put it; he kind of had this mysterious air around him, for someone who seemed so open He was pretty tall; not abnormally tall or anything. Just tall and he had a kind of unique build on him. Like he wasn't too brawny, but he wasn't that slender either; sort've in between. He was wearing a loose black T-shirt under a slack cobalt jean jacket, and had on grass stained jeans. He had something around his neck, but it was tucked into his shirt so I couldn't see it. But judging by the thin chains, it was some kind of necklace. Under his cowboy hat, I saw his long, dark rough looking hair. And I mean dark; it was literally night black. I found it odd that someone this day and age would go around with hair so long that you had to put it in a ponytail, but that's just me. He had light facial hair from the edges of his cheek to his chin, but what I noticed next caught me off guard. His eyes were a different color. I don't mean that it was green or blue; it was a color I never even thought was possible. Crimson; like a ruby is the best way to describe it. He looked at me and for the first time our eyes met. It was weird; for someone who was so friendly, his gaze was really intense. I froze under it; it was just so intimidating. Suddenly it broke when Alex smiled a sort've friendly smile at me. I had to turn away from him to hide my face; I was sure it was turning a little red at this point. I can't believe I got caught staring at him! This really isn't my day.

**To Normal POV**

Alex looked at Bella in child-like confusion; did he do something wrong? All he did was smile at her, but it looked like he had offended her somehow.

"Hey Alex, do you know how to go the rest of the way to Forks," Jessica asked him. When Alex shook his head, she was ecstatic. "Then me and Bella will show you the rest of the way." She turned to Bella, whose face was still turned away. "You don't mind helping him out, right Bella? You do owe him a favor."

Bella looked a little annoyed about the thought, but sighed. "It's your car; just do what you want."

Jessica took that as a yes; Bella had just started to talk a while ago. She decided it probably best for her to take thing slow with her friend for a while. But Jessica had to admit; going to that guy over there was a little extreme. She got up and quickly grabbed Bella's hand. "We'll wait for you in the car. Come out when you're ready," Jessica called to him as she quickly dragged Bella to the parking lot. Alex smiled ever so lightly and took a small sip of his remaining Coke. "Hey kid, you want anything else," an old bartender asked him, wiping the insides of a beer mug.

Alex held out his cup. "Yeah, I would like another Coke. This time to go," he answered politely. The man gave him a gruff smile and took the cup to the kitchen. Alex sat coolly on the spinning stool as he waited for his drink. Because just watching this place meant he was gonna get some company in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1-

'"Hey kid, you look like you have some cash on you. Mind coughing it up?"

"_Wow, just in time."_ Alex turned and smiled at two very brawny men. They were more than half his size; he didn't even reach their shoulders. They were probably body builders from the look of their appearances "Can I help you?"

They smirked at each other and one of them pointed to the money Alex had hanging out of his pockets. "You have some bucks on you, right? Well, me and my friend just happened to run out of money."

Alex leaned his face in his hand. "Let me guess. You were both drunk, made the most impossible bet, and lost all your money. I can tell by your breath."

In a flash, the man knocked over all the glasses to grab Alex by the shirt. "Looks like your ears don't work so well, kid. Give us the money or we'll give you something to remember about Forks."

"…..For the record, my hearing is just fine. But my mom taught me never listen to drunken strangers." He wrinkled his nose as continued. "But man, I sure wish my nose didn't work right now!"

"You must be asking for a death wish, boy!"

Alex looked around for a moment. The bartender looked horrified, the men looked a little worried, and the drunks….well, they were just plain excited. He turned to the man and slowly began to smirk. "Maybe I am," Was the answer as his eyes glowed rather impishly…

"Sorry about that. I'll come back to clean up that mess tomorrow."

The bartender just shook his head and handed the concerned Alex his Coke. "No need; it was those two's fault anyway. But I have to admit, I didn't expect to see that with my own two eyes. Looks like you learn something new everyday at the bar."

Alex continued to frown. "But are you sure those two will listen to you?"

"Kid, after what happened in there, I think they'll help! All I have to do is say your name and the two will be wetting their pants!"

Alex's frown turned into a half smile. He was happy to help and all but…"Don't use me a threat too much! I don't want to get a bad reputation the moment I start high school here!" The man dismissively waved his hand in a way that said he agreed. Alex quickly rushed to his motorcycle and unchained it.

"What took you so long? We were waiting ten minutes for you." Jessica watched him drag the motorcycle to the car. Her hands were planted on her hips; she seemed a little annoyed.

"I had to finish some business at the bar. It took a little longer than expected," Alex answered. He settled himself on the velvet seat and started the motorcycle's engine. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go to Forks before it starts to rain. I think we're going to have a thunder storm tonight."

"How do you know?"

"Call it a hunch." Alex laughed to himself and started ahead of the confused girls. Jessica also started the engine and drove right beside him. They had been driving for a long time and they soon passed by the school they went too. "Hey, is that the high school around here," Alex asked Bella in curiosity.

Bella looked at him as if he was an idiot.

"Yeah it is. Hey Alex, you're planning on going there right," Jessica quickly answered for Bella.

Alex pretended to think about it. "I don't know. If my parents aren't around to tell me to go to school, maybe I should get a break from it."

Bella looked at him as though he was out of his mind by now. "Are you crazy? You have to go; you're parents shouldn't have to tell you."  
"I know, I know; I was just kidding. But at least I know you can say more words now." Alex watched Bella glare at him, but he didn't take it too personally at this point. "I'll have to get permission from my guardian to transfer me there, so it might take a while."

"Can't you call your parents," Bella couldn't help but ask.

"And get an 'I told you so' lecture from my dad? Not a chance. I'd rather take chances with my friend."

"…you keep talking about this friend you know, but is he really that reliable?"

Alex looked very offended. "He's an adult himself, you know. I'm sure he'll find a way to get me transferred." Alex glanced ahead. "I think I can go the rest of the way on my own."

Jessica looked worried for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"Yeah."

"...Okay, well, see you tomorrow."

Alex watched the car turn to a different road and looked up to the sky. Sure enough, it started to pour like crazy. "I can't look for him in this rain; I'll have to try tomorrow." Alex started his engine once again and looked everywhere he could for a hotel. All he managed to find where occupied houses and stores; not one hotel in sight. Just as he was passing some old church, he heard something. Alex stopped his motorcycle to see a middle aged African priest waving toward him.

"Child, what are you doing in this rain!? You must get yourself home!"

"I don't have a home! I'm looking for an inn," Alex yelled back through the pounding rain.

Even in the distance, Alex could make out the worried expression the priest had. "Come then; you can stay in here! There's enough room for you," The man called to him after some thought. Alex looked from the man to the road…and then turned his motorcycle toward the church. He parked it somewhere dry and allowed the priest to escort him inside…

"You really must be new around here. Everyone knows that there are no hotels around these parts." The priest handed Alex a cup of tea and placed his own cup on the small wooden table. He sat down and placed a hand on his chin. "Where are you're parents?"

Alex drank a little of the sweet tea and put the small cup down. "My parents are letting me stay with a friend of mine. But I came too late and this is what ended up happening," He told the priest, motioning to a nearby window.

"…I see…what is your name, Child?"

"Isn't it customary to introduce your name before the guest does?"

The priest stroked his dulling black beard and chuckled. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. I am Charles H. Jackson."

"Alexander Bakemono; everyone around my hometown calls me Alex," Came the answer, along with a slight bow.

Charles looked at Alex in interest. "Alexander Bakemono…doesn't Bakemono stand for 'monstrous' in another language?"

"Japanese to be exact."

"You don't appear to have any Japanese blood in you."

"I was adopted." Alex put down the finished tea and smiled toward the man. "What do I look like to you anyway?"

The priest laughed. "That is for another time, not now. You need some rest."

Alex nodded, but then he heard something whining. "What's that?"

All Charles did was shake his head and move over to the entrance. The moment he opened the door, a large Saint Bernard walked inside. He was old male, but had the energy of a young dog. The brown and white dog looked at Alex and whined again. He walked over to the teen and place his large head on the his lap. His tongue hung to the side as Alex scratched the dog behind the ears. "Well, I'll be." Alex looked up to see Charles looking at him with a warm smile. "Saint is usually very nervous around strangers. You must be quite the animal magnet." With that said, Charles led Alex to the back to show him his room. It was an old room, but it had bed, a lamp, and a writing table. That was enough to satisfy Alex. He walked over to the bed and laid himself down; it was soft and warm. "Will the other priests be okay with me being here," He asked Charles, who was about to close the door.

The man looked up and gave him a sad smile. "Me and Saint are the only residents that live here. My old friends…had passed away a long time ago."

"…I'm sorry, I didn't know."

The man shook his head. "There's no need for an apology; you were just curious." His smile changed back to that warm, fatherly grin. "You had mentioned that you have to figure out where your friend lives, correct? Why don't you stay here until then; free of charge."

Alex looked at the priest as though it was too good to be true. "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude."

"Ah, you're not intruding. It has been many years since there was someone other than me and my dog living here. There have been members who have joined the church, but none of them stay around here. It's too close to the forest for their own comforts."

Alex looked outside a nearby window to glance at the shadowy, menacing forest. "Is there some kind of suspicion about it; likes a curse or a legend?"  
Charles looked outside and shook his head once again. "That is a story for another time. Get some sleep; I'll tell you about them tomorrow."

Alex stayed awake for a little longer even after Charles and Saint had left his room. He continued to look toward the dark forest, listening to the crashing of thunder. "Legends are all I have at this point." Alex yawned quietly and finally drifted off to a deep, dreamless sleep, something that he hasn't done for a long time...

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**And that's it for now! Sorry it took so long to begin with. I didn't have interenet to add the new chapter. But now that I have it back, please look forward to the other chapters. And I wouldn't mind some tips from any Twilight reader out there!**

**Alex: Now that I think about it, was mixing POVs through the story a good idea? Won't it confuse people?**

**ID: Good point; please make a commet on anything you want. See you next time!**


	3. First Impressions

**This... took a lot longer to put than I thought it would. But I hope you enjoy it either way!**

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**Chapter 3: First Impressions**

The whining of Saint stirred Alex from his sleep until he slowly opened his eyes. The dog wagged his tail and with one slobbery lick, managed to make Alex fully awake. Alex wiped his face with a mixture of laughter and disgust. Laughter from the childishness of the dog. Disgust from the slobbery lick he had received early in the morning. Stretching his muscles to wake himself even more, Alex walked out toward the entrance of the church, searching for Charles. But there was no sign of the priest anywhere. "What the-" Alex began until he saw an envelope that was tied to Saint's collar by a string. "Whatcha got there, boy?" Alex bent down to retrieve the envelope and read the letter inside.

**Alex,**

**I already signed the application for the school transfer. If you're wondering how I was able to do it so fast, it just so happens that the principal at that school is an old friend of mine.**

"Talk about using your connection, right Saint?"  
The dog barked in agreement.

**They had so many good things to say about you [your old school I mean], so my friend doesn't mind a late transfer. But you went to a private school after your finished middle school, right? You don't have to go today; you can go whenever you feel comfortable. But you should tell my friend ahead what you think about going there. There's food in the kitchen so help yourself. I also got you some new clothes and a backpack with supplies to go to the school if you want to check it out today. Try not to get in too much trouble.**

**Your temporary guardian,**

**Charles.**

**On a side note: I think you have some Native American heritage in you**

Alex laughed at the last part of the letter. He folded the paper and looked at Saint. "Hey Saint, do they let dogs near the school? Bark once if it's yes; two if no."

Saint barked once.

"Okay then do you know where the school is?"

Three barks came this time.

"So you know, but you don't know at the same time?"

One bark.

"Oh well, better than nothing." Alex grabbed the backpack and clothes. "C'mon, you're gonna be my lead dog to the school!.."

"Who the heck is that?"

The whispering around the halls was growing a little louder the moment Alex had walked through the doors. Not that any of them could contain themselves; Alex sure wasn't like anything anyone had seen around Forks. Red eyes, a dark scar on the side of his face, and a kind of strong air that went with him wherever he was going. Then there was that over grown Saint Bernard that was walking alongside with him. He looked like he had just stepped out of the forest after a hunt or something. Mr. Greene was struck dumb when the boy made his way to him, smiling ever so pleasantly. "Excuse me, Mister, but do you know where the principal's office is," Alex asked politely.

Mr. Greene immediately straightened up. "It's down that hallway, but if you have business with me, I would like to ask why you're here near the end of the day?"

"_Looks like that's my man."_ Alex dug through his dirt stained pocket's and took out the neatly folded letter. "I'm very sorry Mister, but I got really lost along the way. I'm Alexander Bakemono; I wanted to ask about what kind of classes I would be taking for this year. If you don't mind."

Mr. Greene was speechless for a moment. This boy's appearance didn't do any justice to the surprisingly well-bred manners he had. But he hadn't expected the boy to come so early either. What was he going to do; he didn't even decide what classes Alex should be taking. "I would like you to follow Mr. Bakemono," Mr. Greene told him as he made his way down the hall.

"You can call me Alex, Mister. That's the way people around my town show our respects." He walked alongside the principal and looked up a bit curiously. "So what class do I have to take now?"

Mr. Greene glanced at him. "I haven't even set up a set for any classes yet."

"Then where are you taking me?"

Mr. Greene smiled ever so smugly. "I'm taking you to a student who will be looking after you for the first few weeks."

Alex cocked his head curiously, but decided to let it slide. The two had been walking down the hall and finally reached a door.

"Now Alex, I'll be leaving you under the care of Miss Swan. Try to get along with each other, okay?"

"_Miss Swan…why does that sound familiar?.. Maybe I met her somewhere?"_ Alex shrugged it off. Then the moment came when the principal and called out a name that caused a brunette girl to look up. The very same girl he had seen in that bar not even a day ago. And turning back now wasn't even an option; looks like he was going to face her head on. For now, standing hidden on the outside of the door seemed like a good idea.

**Bella's POV**

I didn't know what to expect when I heard my name being called by Mr. Greene. But at least it gave my mind a break from the long lecture the teacher was giving. Mr. Greene called me over again and this time, I got up to meet him face to face. "Mrs. Swan, I want you to do something for me." He looked out of the classroom for a moment and the looked back at me. "I have a new student with me right now. But he doesn't really know his way around here. I want you to look after him, answer any questions he has, and help him understand how school around here works."  
"Doesn't he know how it works already," I asked.

"Well, things are different from where he lives. Just make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble."

I thought it over a moment. Looking out for a transfer student? Didn't sound too hard.

Mr. Greene looked out of the room again. "Alex, you can come in now."

It didn't seem so easy anymore. I was hoping against all odds that the 'Alex' that he was talking to wasn't the same guy I met in that bar before. Then I saw a pair of red eyes glancing inside for a moment and then the person those eyes belong to stepped out from the side and into the class room. There was no mistaking him at that point. He clothes may have changed, but there's no way I've ever seen another person with his appearance before.

He looked up at me and slightly frowned for a moment. And then he turned to Mr. Greene and told him something that completely offended me on the spot. "Can I have someone else show me around?"

I didn't care at that point if he was new or not. "Any reason I'm not a good guide?"

Alex looked at me for a moment and then looked back at Mr. Greene. "I mean, if there is someone who is free to show me around. It looks like that teacher is getting ready to give an essay. Short by the way he's talking, but he wants to get students to pay more attention. I don't want her missing out just because I'm new."

Okay, that caught me off guard. I didn't look like he was lying. His face just seemed to be too serene for it to be a lie. But my teacher talked before I could say anything. "Now what make you so sure that I going to do that?" Unlike Alex, he had a hint of guilt in his voice. Everyone's attention was on Alex now, who was standing beside Mr. Greene still. Well, whether he liked it or not, Alex was becoming the new center of attention.

**Back to Normal POV**

Alex glanced among all the eyes on him for a moment, and then shrugged. He walked to the front of class, looked seriously among his peers, and bowed. "My name is Alexander Bakemono. It's an honor to make your acquaintance."

Silence answered him, along with a few gawking expressions from the classmates.

"I've been in a private school for a while, but I hope that we all can get along and know each other. Any questions?" He saw a hand go up. "What's up?"

The hand belonged to a boy a bit younger than him. "Why did you go to the front and introduce yourself in the middle of a lesson?"

"Where I'm from, if you're a new student, we have to go in the front and introduce ourselves to the whole class. Then we answer questions to let everyone know a little bit about us. My old school said it helps us be a little more comfortable in new settings. But I guess it's not the same around here." Alex bowed lightly toward the teacher. "I'm sorry I've interrupted your class, Mister."

"No need to apologize. Please, continue; it's actually quite interesting."

He had the teacher's permission now, so he chose another hand that went up. This time it was a girl's. "I see your hand, ma'am, just ask away."  
"Where are you from?"

Alex thought about the best way to explain it. "My family has two homes; one we go to in the spring and summer. The other is for fall and winter. So I go from our summer ranch in the West to Lawrence; both are my homes."  
"By ranch, you mean the place where animals are kept, like horses and stuff?"

"That's right; they're family owned. I always help out during the summer and Spring breaks. It's my favorite home to return to."

"Oh, you're a country bumpkin," He heard another girl squeal.

"Actually, I'm a Bakemono, ma'am," Alex answered innocently. That earned a few giggles from the girls. He saw one more hand go up. "I have to get going soon, so this is the last one I'll answer."

"Does Bakemono stand for anything?"

"Yes."

"Well, what does it mean?"

Alex laughed. "Get a Japanese dictionary and you'll find out." Alex bowed once more to the class, then the teacher. He was about to leave, but the sight of Bella stopped him for a moment. They both made eye contact, but Bella quickly broke it. This only made Alex smile and shake his head in amusement. "May we meet again, Miss Swan," Alex said politely as he walked past her and followed Mr. Greene once again. The moment he had left, Saint nudged him on the hand and grunted a little disapprovingly. Alex took a quick glance at the dog and stopped. "Mr. G, I have to take Saint back to his home. I'll be back in a moment." Saint immediately followed the boy quickly, almost in an anxious manner. At the entrance, Alex stooped down to Saint's level, and stroked the dog's neck in a soothing manner, murmuring soft calming words. "You smelled it, didn't you," Alex asked the anxious dog.

A whimper escaped Saint's throat; he nuzzled his nose against Alex's scarred cheek.

Alex glanced away from the dog and back at the school. He had a feeling that was the case; he had seen dogs react the same way about the same thing before. "You can go home; just try to be a little careful along the way."

The dog whimpered once again.

"I'll be fine; don't you know school is the second safest place to be around?"

Saint was still a little skeptic. Alex noticed this too, but managed to get the dog going after a few more words. He watched the dog run off into the woods and just went back into the school. Saint was a smart dog; Alex could tell he knew his way back to the church…

Lunchtime had finally come. And what good timing; Alex's stomach was growling like a wild animal. It was making half of the unaware students jump. He grabbed all the most appealing foods out of there and began to look around. Normally, he would've just sat anywhere with anyone. But the glances he was getting from students were a little much. They were looking at him like he was some sort of wild animal ready to eat them alive. _"Wow,"_ Alex thought _"I guess people around Forks are a little paranoid. I didn't think I looked that scary."_ He touched his left cheek and frowned a little. "_Maybe it's the scar."_

"Hey Alex!"

Alex looked blankly from side to side. Was it just him or was someone calling his name?

"Over here silly! We're over here!"

Alex looked a little more until he found Jessica waving at him. She was also pointing at a conveniently empty chair. Alex walked over lightly to them, noticing how everyone was looking at him expectantly as he sat down. Alex had wondered what she had to call him over for until he had found himself being introduced to the other friends that Bella and Jessica knew. Either they were really curious about him or they wanted to be the first to know this new guy. Something told him it was a mix of both.

"So you've been living in the mountains until just recently? This must be kind of strange for you then," A girl Alex came to know as Angela told him in slight worry.

"Not really. Like I said, my family has a home in Lawrence, so it isn't so new to me. I don't really stay that long around there though. My family is a little too outdoorsy. City life isn't made for most of them."

"But your parents are letting stay around here by yourself? Mine's don't even let me go over a friend's house too long," Mike had comment to him.

"My family lives for the freedom. I'm no different. Even if they had tried to stop me, I would've just gone on my own," Alex answered lightly. He told the truth too. He loved his family to the depths of his heart. But trying to contain him in one spot wasn't a smart idea for quite a few reasons. "And I'm not really staying by myself if they know the person I'm staying with. Well, when I find him anyway."

Bella's head snapped up from the table. "You don't know where he is?"

"Well not really, unless you guys can tell me," Alex told her blankly.

"Why are you here if you don't even know where he lives?"

"I do know where he lives. It's somewhere around Forks."

"How does that help you!?"

"Hey, if I found his house too easily, where would the whole fun in that be?"

That's not the point! What are you going to do; stay in the streets till then?"

"Well, that actually sounds sort of fun and all, but I'm staying with a new friend of mine." Alex frowned heavily at Bella. "But now I'm a little upset."

Bella looked him warily in the eyes. "About what?"

"You could've given me that whole 'staying in the streets' idea yesterday! I sounds like something that would give him a heart attack!" Alex sighed in disappointment. "That would've been such a good scare on him too."

Bella couldn't believe half of the words coming out of his mouth. Who the heck did this guy think he was!? "I thought there was only three kinds of crazy, but you showed me two more in a matter of minutes," Was all she could bring herself to say.

Alex's frown changed into that puppyish smile. "Yay! I did it," He shouted with pride. Half of the students jumped again. Bella didn't know what he was talking about, so Alex explained. "I told myself you're nicer than you let on yesterday, and now I know I'm right," He told her proudly.

Bella continued to look at Alex blankly. Then, despite her usual reactions toward him she began to giggle. "You remind me of a little kid."

Alex scratched his right cheek. "My brothers tell me it's one of my best qualities. Aside from being innocent, at least."

While he did this, Angela began to be more focused on the scar on his left cheek. "Um, Alex, what happened to your cheek?"

Mike looked at the scar as well. "Did you get attacked by an animal or something? It looks like a really nasty scar."  
Alex paused uncomfortably. "Actually…I go into the wilderness a lot. But you guys probably noticed that." He stopped chuckling and went back to looking sad. "I was always around all kinds of animals, including this really huge wolf dog. He treated me just as he would've treated his own pups. But…Then it happened."

Everyone leaned in close to hear the tale. "What did," Ben asked.

Alex leaned in close to them to…and whispered, "These classmates of mine, started getting nosy, so I decided not to tell them the rest of the story." Alex's laughter could be heard all across the lunchroom, along with the disappointed groaning from his newfound friends…

Alex waited a while more until, finally, Bella was out of the school, with books in her hands. "Heya Miss Swan!" He called cheerfully.

Bella looked at Alex a little weirdly as he ran up to her to go to her side. "Miss Swan?"

"Sorry, my family says I shouldn't call someone by their first name unless I know them in a casual way."

"But you already know me that way," Bella commented.

Alex grinned a little. "Not exactly. You still don't trust me that much." He looked to the side for a moment and his eyes widened. He quickly looked back at Bella with a fake cheerful expression. "Hey Miss Swan, I'm going to walk you home. Let me carry your books."

"Wait what are you-" Bella began when he leaned close to her to get the books.

"Play along," He whispered hastily, a sudden seriousness voice.

"What?"

Alex leaned in a little closer to her ear. "That guy from that bar yesterday…he's around the corner. And it looks like he brought a few friends along this time…Don't look," He hissed quickly as Bella tried to turn and see them "if you do that, then they'll know we know they're there."

**Bella's POV**

I froze as memories came back to me. "What do we do?"

It was the first time I saw Alex conflicted. It's like he had a few ideas, but he didn't know which one would work. Then he began to whisper my ear again. "I'm going to walk you home. That guy doesn't seem like he has the guts to go toward you while I'm around. Your Dad; he's at the house, right?"

I only nodded enough for him to see.

"Then get him to get the police later. Once I get you to the house, I'll leave…knowing how most people of his kind work, he'll follow me instead."

"What about you?" I couldn't let him do that. He was risking his life for someone who wasn't even on casual terms with him.

He looked me on the corner of one red eye. He didn't say a word, just grabbing a few books away from me. "C'mon, Miss Swan. We're going home." The quick look of his eyes told me he wasn't changing his mind. And I could tell there wasn't anything I could say to sway his decision. I walked quietly next to him. The whole time, I was wondering, "Why do I believe him? He could be telling a lie." I looked into his crimson eyes again. It was no lie; something about the way he looked right now told me as much. He noticed my expression and mouthed some words to me. One of the many things I'm not good at would be lip reading. I think he caught on to that too. He pulled off a half smile and walked a little closer to my side. I shivered a bit; I felt safer the moment this happened. Kind of like…how Jasper would use his power to calm a person down. But…Jasper was a vampire. Alex was only human…right? I guess I was thinking too much because Alex shook me. "This is your house right?"

"How did you know?" Maybe he was a vampire.

"It says 'Charlie Swan' on the mailbox. I just taking a guess."

Okay; that should've been obvious. I didn't want to go, but I found myself being pushed hard toward the steps and the door closed behind me. The window was the closest thing I could see Alex from, but he was already making his way down the street. Then it hit me; I knew what he had mouthed to me now.

'Don't worry. I'll protect you.'

But…now who was going to protect him?

**To normal POV**

The men ran away as they turned through an alley. All of their faces were as pale as snow and their eyes were bloodshot. They were just following that kid as he turned a corner and now this was happening. "I-I think we lost him," The man from the bar gasped out.

"So you think you lost me?"

All the men looked into the nearby shadows and saw a sharp fanged grin glint from the darkness. The men's screams of terror echoed into the night and the last thing any of them saw was a pair of blood red eyes…

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**I don't really have anything to say, but thanks to the few that have been at lweast giving this story a chance. So thank you! I'll try to make it as interesting as possible**


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